1. Field of the Disclosure
The present invention relates to a vehicle seat capable of reducing a load that is applied to an occupant seated in the vehicle seat during a vehicle collision.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Patent Application Publication 2006-193040 discloses a seat cushion frame which is provided with side frames arranged in parallel on left and right sides, a front cross member extending between front end portions of the side frames, and a rear cross member extending between rear end portions of the side frames. The front cross member is formed by bending a substantially-rectangular flat metal material. During a head-on collision, a load resulting from a forward motion of an occupant causes only a central portion of an upper surface portion of the front cross member to deform downward into a buckled state. This is intended for absorbing an initial load applied to the occupant, and receiving the forward motion of the occupant with no significant shock applied to the occupant.
Conventional solutions are directed to reduce impact loads for head-on collisions rather than rear-end type collisions. Accordingly, when such rear-end collisions occur, a front side portion of the front cross member may impact the calves (or other portions of the legs) of the occupant, which may result in a large load to the legs and other parts of the occupant.